Sudan War Disrupts Hajj As Abdel Fattah Al-Burhane And RSF Fight

The war in Sudan has disrupted the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, with Kamal Kabachi praying for "peace and stability" on the eve of the pilgrimage while his country is torn apart by more than two months of fighting.

“Away from the violent fighting in Sudan, Kamal Kabachi prays for "peace and stability" on the eve of the great pilgrimage to Mecca, about 2,000 kilometers from his country torn apart by more than two months of war”

Africanews

Kamal Kabachi, a 52-year-old official, said he was "very afraid for my family and my children" as he prayed inside the Grand Mosque, dressed in ihram, two layers of white cloth that envelop men's bodies during their pilgrimage.

Africanews

Since April 15, a power struggle has pitted the army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, plunging Sudan into chaos that has killed more than 2,000 people and forced more than 2.5 million civilians to flee.

With Khartoum airport closed because of the war, Kamal Kabachi and other Sudanese pilgrims crossed the Red Sea by boat to reach Jeddah, the Saudi city near Mecca, where talks have stalled for several weeks between the two rival Sudanese camps.

The disruption comes as more than two million Muslims are expected in the holiest city of Islam in western Saudi Arabia for the Hajj that officially starts on Sunday.

Ahmed Jaber, who accompanies Kamal Kabachi on the journey, said the Sudanese "dream only of peace" as he prepared to pray for his family and loved ones.

The 62-year-old trader performing the Hajj for the first time told AFP, "Today, I am not praying only for my family; I am praying for all Sudanese," while fighting back tears behind his protective mask.

Al-Jazeera Net

In Mecca, Haram Ali said he felt a sense of psychological relief performing the Hajj for the first time with his family, adding, "I pray for peace and that all Sudanese may also feel that same sense of relief," AFP was told.

Maha Abdallah, a 50-year-old Sudanese housewife, said, "The situation is difficult. Very difficult. Only God's intervention could change things," as she described the fighting continuing to rage and truces being almost never observed.

The accounts place Sudanese pilgrims’ uncertainty inside the broader Hajj setting described by Ouest-France, which said the Hajj began on Sunday, August 19, and that pilgrims move between sites in Mecca and its surroundings according to precise rituals.

The humanitarian situation in Sudan, already described as catastrophic, is expected to worsen with the rainy season, signaling a surge in malaria, food insecurity and child malnutrition.

“JEDDAH/MECCA: Before the invention of cars, buses and other modern forms of public transport, pilgrims performing Hajj and Umrah relied solely on caravans of camels, horses, and donkeys to reach the holy cities of Mecca and Medina”

Arab News FR

Africanews reported that the two-thirds of health facilities in combat zones are now out of service, while 11 million people need health assistance, according to the World Health Organization.

It also said the UN estimates that 25 percent of the 48 million Sudanese cannot survive without humanitarian aid, underscoring the stakes for pilgrims returning to a country where the fighting continues.

In parallel, Al-Jazeera Net described Sudanese pilgrims facing "checkpoints belonging to the Rapid Support Forces" during a 15-day journey through fear and suspense before reaching Khartoum to begin procedures.

Al-Jazeera Net added that since April 15, 2023, Sudan has been at war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, with the fighting beginning in Khartoum and spreading to various parts of the country, leaving tens of thousands dead and about 13 million displaced.